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Having an animal under your care really takes time, effort and sometimes money. There are a lot of people who do not really know how to properly care for their pets and animals. And so, they end up losing so much money paying the veterinary clinic because their pets always get ill. Sometimes, they lose their beloved pets. And this is just so sad.

There are also some people who mistreat their animals even without knowing. This is because of the lack of knowledge on how to properly care for them.

While mistreatment of animals is certainly not (and by no means should be) excused by not having enough funds, there are ways to minimise the cost of pet care without sacrificing a precious animal’s quality of life. Here are just some of the ways you can manage the costs of pet care.

First, get preventative care for your pet. Look for an established vet and ask about his preventative health care plan for dogs, cats, birds, and other species of pets. It is always best to take care of a small wound, tick or flea infestations, or unusual behaviour before they start to get big. It will then be hard to take care of.

Secondly, do not over-feed your pets. Indeed, fat cats and dogs can seem devastatingly cute. But you will not find it the least bit amusing or ideal when your overweight cat or dog starts to show signs of osteoarthritis, diabetes, or respiratory problems. Some overweight dogs can suffer from heat intolerance, and while some places are not really super-hot, some towns do experience hot, humid summers.

So give your pets the right amount of food. Try not to get into the habit of giving them treats all the time. Do not share human food as this may cause diarrhea (particularly for cats). And always keep their water bowl full.

It is also advisable to exercise, play with, and keep your pets active. A physically active pet is not only a healthy pet but also a happy one. Dogs and cats that are never left to their own devices and given lots of activity are less likely to get bored also. This means that they may not exhibit behavioural problems like unusual chewing of your furniture or your shoes, over barking, aggression (yes, even with cats), and scratching.

When you buy a puppy your entire world is about to change. A pet is a member of the family, so imagine you just had a kid. Your schedule, your spare time, everything will have to be renegotiated in order to include the new member of the family.

But most of all, and especially at first, dogs require training pets. Do not assume dogs are smart enough to guess your every thought. Also, you cannot talk to them as you would to your neighbor. They need training and that’s about it.

Until at least four months old the dog will use any space as its personal toilet. First because he can’t help himself, and second because he doesn’t know any better. In order to reduce the amount of feces that you have to clean up you need to take him out for a walk at least every three hours. Which means your schedule must be really flexible to allow that. Yours or another member of your household’s.

Also, you must correctly guess your dog’s nature. Some dogs respond best to rewards. So when you take him out teach him to come to you every time you call him by rewarding him with something. Some dogs go for food, some for toys, some for playtime. Regardless which it is, you need to identify it and work with it. For example, a Retriever is extremely greedy and he will literally do anything for a bit of food, while an English Bulldog is more thick-headed and possessive and will more likely respond to a toy he just has to have.

You have to be patient. The entire point of the exercise is for you to get used to the dog’s characteristics and for him to get used to yours. It’s always a two-way deal, never just a one-way deal. If your dog is not overly aggressive, refrain from keeping him on the leash whenever possible. Dogs enjoy their liberty and it’s no need to limit it for no reason. teach him to walk beside you. You can achieve that through reward. Do not reward him every time. Do it randomly so he can never learn when he’s about to get a treat or not. In time, he will forget about the reward and will come to you out of habit. Also, do not call him too often as he will get bored and ignore you. Call him only when you need to, not just for your fancy.

Just like humans, pets too require medical attention. The unfortunate thing is that the cost of medication is usually very high which is usually unaffordable for most people. The good news is that there are a number of things that you can do to save some money on vet bills. Here are some of the things that you can do:

Use a medication savings card

This is a card that allows you to access pet medicines at discounted prices. To get the card you only need to visit an issuing company and you will be given the card. The good side with the card is that it’s not restricted by age, income, and insurance. There is also no paper work involved to get the card.

Once you get the card, you only need to present it to your vet and you will receive medications for your pet at very low prices. In most cases you tend to save up to 85% of the cost of the medications.

Be on the lookout for cheap pet clinics

Large pet supply retailers tend to offer low cost and even free pet clinics. The clinics are usually offered in a vet’s office. The clinics are often advertised in posters and in local newspapers; therefore, you should make it your effort to read newspapers and posters so that you can know when the clinics will be offered in your area.

Taking your pet to these clinics ensures that you save a lot of money.

Get medication for your pet as soon as possible

When your pet gets sick, you should seek medical attention as early as possible. This ensures that the disease does not progress further thus making the disease easy to treat. This saves you money.

Trade labor for veterinary services

If you don’t have much money to spend, you can talk to your vet and see how you can trade your labor for veterinary services for your pet.

If the vet agrees, you will be required to set some time and visit the veterinary offices where you can do some jobs such as arranging files or even cleaning the office, and in return the vet will treat your pet for free or at reduced prices.

Volunteer at a local shelter

If there is a pet shelter in your area, you should consider volunteering your services there. By volunteering you get in touch with animal care personnel who tend to offer you free services in case your pet gets sick.

Pet medications tend to be expensive. The good thing is that there are some tips that you can put into consideration to ensure that you save on pet medications. Here are some of the tips that you should put into consideration:

Work with cooperating vets

Many vets tend to prefer when clients buying medications from them. The unfortunate thing is that some vets tend to sell the medications at very high prices.

To save on pet medications, you should ask your vet to write the prescription drugs down for you so that you can buy them elsewhere. If the vet refuses to cooperate with you, you should consider finding another vet.

Shop at cheaper outlets

If there are drug selling outlets in your area, you should highly consider buying from them. One of the best places to begin your search is online. While online you should visit different stores and see what they have to offer. You should also compare the prices of the drugs that you are interested in.

Other than searching online, you should also ask fellow pet keepers where you can find the medications at low prices.

If you have a vet friend, you can ask him/her where you can find the medications at low prices.

Use human medications

Many ingredients in pet drugs tend to be similar to those in human medications. Human medications tend to be cheaper than the pet medications; therefore, when a vet prescribes the medications to you, you should always ask him/her whether you can get human equivalents which are usually less expensive.

If you can get human equivalents, you should shop around. One of the best places to shop is online. You should visit some of the reputable online stores and see what they have to offer.

To be on the safe side you should shop in pharmacies accredited by the Veterinary-verified internet pharmacy practice sites (vet-VIPPS).

The reason as to why you should shop in these accredited sites is because the sites tend to stock medicines that comply with federal and state licensing requirements and quality assurance; therefore, you are guaranteed of buying high quality medicines from these places.

Use drug saving cards

Many companies tend to offer medication saving cards that allow you to access medicines at low prices. To get the card you only need to visit the issuing company. Once you have the card you will be able to get medications at discounted prices.

Dogs love treats! We love to give our dogs special treats as a token of our love & affection, or as a reward during training sessions. For the most part, we’ve had two options; purchase packaged dog treats from the pet store or give our dog table food as treats.

Packaged treats from the pet store can get expensive. In addition, they usually contain ingredients we may not want our dogs to have too much of, and some ingredients that sound downright scary. Things like Propylene Glycol, Glycerin, phosphoric acid, sugar, salt and Starch are all things most of us don’t want our dogs to eat. Even so-called healthy dog treats contain ingredients like these.

As far as table food goes, most foods are unhealthy at best and many are actually toxic to dogs. Chocolate tops the list of foods that are harmful to dogs. Others include onion, garlic, grapes & raisins, macadamia nuts and alcohol. Even if you are conscientious about not feeding your dog these foods directly, prepared foods may contain them. Foods like stuffing, muffins, cookies, dips, chips, sauces & gravies and other foods may contain ingredients that are harmful to dogs. I used to boil plain chicken, liver or beef for my dogs to use as treats but with a busy schedule, that got old fast. In addition, too much meat isn’t good for them.

I realized that if I wanted to reduce my use of packaged dog treats and not have to boil chicken and meat for my dogs on a constant basis, I needed to find another option. After some research I learned that many fruits and vegetables are healthy for dogs and that dogs actually love the taste. Most people already have on hand a myriad of healthy snacks their dogs would love. Not only are the foods below safe and healthy for dogs, but most dogs find them delicious. Try a few of these healthy treats to see which ones your dog takes a liking to. I bet you’ll be surprised.

Bananas

Apples

Sweet Potato

Pumpkin

Carrots

Snap peas

Pineapple

Broccoli

Organic Applesauce

Organic Peanut Butter

Nonfat yogurt

My Siberian Husky, Isis, absolutely loves sweet potato and pumpkin! My little dog, Phoebe, prefers carrots and bananas. When I top them with a bit of organic applesauce or peanut butter, they are in doggie heaven! I usually have many of these foods in my kitchen at any given time, and I can feel good about giving my cherished Fur-kids healthy, delicious treats.

The problem when you own a cat is that it will become your best friend. What I mean by that is that it will see you as it’s best friend. It will sleep on you, sharpen its claws on you, jump on you etc. The big part of here activities are unpleasant to you. Trust me, I know. Also, cats are much more independent than dogs, are there’s no reasoning with them. They basically ignore what you want and are almost impossible to train them to the point you would train a dog.

Have empty bode ready. Cats love boxes, or any other tight spaces they can snuggle into. Take a shoe box and put it on the floor and wait. In about three minutes there will be one cat in it, I guarantee it. It will love the box so much that it will sleep in it, play with it to the point of turning it into ribbons. Cats don’t play nice, they usually destroy their plaything. We just want to make sure that’s not you.

Build shelves. Put some shelves at various intervals and heights on the wall so the cat can climb up and jump from one to another. Cats also love heights because they give them a sense of security. Try putting some shelves up and see the effect. If you have ore than one cat, your shelves will soon all have their own personal and living piece of decor.

Buy toys. Buy rope-based things they can play with. Static toys are not fun for cats, but they enjoy something that squirms and won’t stay still, like a dangling rope with a ball on the end of it or something similar. Or you can buy mice. A lot of them.

But scratching pads. Those are usually for sharpening their claws, otherwise they will redecorate the furniture. You can have the vet remove their claws through surgery, but keep in mind the claws are their only weapon and without them the cat cannot defend itself, and no one knows what the future may bring. Plus, it’s a pretty invasive surgery that I consider barbaric.

Buy good food for the cat. Good food will usually make it lazy. It also makes it fat, but that’s a small price to pay for your security, isn’t it? Cats, like humans, need a certain level of calories and protein, otherwise they will become obscenely fat and that can be a serious impediment for their life.

Have you been wondering what Animal Communication is all about? Maybe you have wanted to learn how but didn’t know where to begin? Or do you already know how to communicate with your animal and would like some extra tips?

Great!… you have come to the right place to learn the answers to your questions and begin to explore what your animal has to say!

Yet, before we begin with the 8-Step process there are some things to consider.

First… What is Animal Communication?…
1. Animal Communication is all about connecting with the pure energy of your beloved companion be it a dog, horse, cat, bird, fish, etc.
2. It is considered by professional Animal Communicators as the Universal language of all species of animals.
3. When communicating with your animal companion it should be on an energetic level not on the level of your intellect or ego.
4. Animal Communication is about respecting the animal that you are talking to and aligning your energy with the energy of that animal… not the other way around.
5. It is all about believing in the power, intelligence and higher purpose of all animals and nature.

Now that we have defined what Animal Communication is let’s get to work with The 8-Steps to Animal Communication

The 8-Steps to Animal Communication

1. It is important to set up the area where you would like to communicate with your animal. This is important to do on a physical level as well as energetic level. Be sure you are free of any distractions so that you are fully able to make a deep energetic connection.
2. In the beginning it is good practice to keep notes of the information that you are receiving. Notes allow you to refer back to the information if you set up multiple appointments.
3. Prepare your energetic self by meditating, chanting, etc
4. Be aware of how your physical body feels. Do you hurt anywhere? Are you tired?
5. Make a connection to Spirit.
6. Greet the energy of the animal and introduce yourself.
7. When the animal greets you back you may then ask questions and receive the answers.
8. When the animal is done giving you information give appropriate thanks and then disconnect.

Communicating with your animal companion is a wonderful way to build trust and deepen your relationship. They really do want to talk with us and with some practice you will be able to talk to the animal in your life and learn some fun and exciting things!

As a loving pet owner you have probably experienced a time when your beloved companion was ill, not feeling well, in pain or just plain out of sorts. This experience can leave you feeling helpless and defeated!
Not to worry as there is a hands-on solution that you can learn which can help your pet feel more relaxed, centered and focused. It is called Chakra Balancing.

All animals have their own Chakra system and since they are very sensitive creatures their response rate to this type of hands-on healing is excellent.

What is a Chakra? Briefly, there are many ancient energy medicine traditions that use Chakras as a healing and diagnostic modality. They are spinning wheels of light that run the length of the body. These areas are called energy or power centers and each one is connected to a different physical body part and a different emotional state.

Here is a brief description of the Chakra System of Your Pet

1. The first Chakra is located where the tail meets the body. The color associated with this Chakra is red and relates to survival and grounding. It is the energy center for the skeletal system, muscular system, intestines, gut, hips and hind legs.

2. The second Chakra is located in the lower lumbar area. The color associated with this Chakra is orange and relates to feelings, emotions and excessive whining, boundary issues, etc. It is the energy center for the kidneys, adrenal glands, reproductive system and lymphatic system.

3. The third Chakra is located in the middle of the back. The color associated with this Chakra is yellow and relates to self-esteem and sense of self. It is the energy center that governs the stomach and the liver.

4. The fourth Chakra is located in the middle of the chest. The color associated with this Chakra is green and relates to feelings of herd hierarchy, emotional grief, nervousness around other animals, separation, etc. It is the energy center for the heart, blood and lungs.

5. The fifth Chakra is located on the throat. The color associated with this Chakra is blue and relates to the ability to communicate and listen. It is the energy center of the throat, mouth, teeth and jaws.

6. The sixth Chakra is located on the forehead between the brow-line. The color associated with this Chakra is indigo and relates to acceptance of self. It is the energy center of the eyes, nose and head.

7. The seventh Chakra is located on the top of the head, between the ears. The color associated with this Chakra is white or violet and relates the connection with spirit, depression or being withdrawn. It is the energy center of the brain, pituitary glad, skin, spine, central and autonomic nervous system.

10- Steps For Balancing the Chakra System of Your Pet

1. Find a place that you and your pet will not be distracted.
2. Clear out all negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts
3. Then take a deep breath, visualize white light around you and your pet.
4. Then fill your hands with white light.
5. Slowly and with focus begin placing your hands on the first Chakra.
6. Imagine the Chakra filling with first the white light in your hands.
7. Then imagine the specific color of that Chakra replacing the white light.
8. Communicate loving and healing energy with your mind as you send light to your pet.
9. Then move onto the next Chakra and repeat.
10. Do this sequence until all 7 of the major Chakras are filled with light and the color that is associated with that energy center.

So, we are just a few weeks into winter, and Canada has seen a particularly cold one this year. Sure, the days are getting longer but they are also getting colder (for the time being). I would guess that you spend some time every year thinking about how you can prepare your home for winter, but have you thought about winter hazards for your dogs and cats. Even in the warmest areas of Canada, winter generally brings cold, wet weather that can be troubling for our four-legged friends. Moreover, as humans we struggle to adjust to the darker days and frigid temperatures, and this often interferes with pet care. As such, our dogs and cats get less exercise but there are other concerns affecting our pets. So what are some of the winter hazards for dogs and cats?

Paws

One of the most common problems veterinarians see after winter is paw irritation in cats and dogs. Whether sidewalks, roads, and driveways have been salted, sanded, or exposed to other de-icing chemicals, or simply the colder temperatures of surfaces are at play, dogs and cats paws can become very red and sore. Indeed, salt and de-icing chemicals can become trapped in your pet’s bare pads and cause serious inflammation. So, after your winter walks, you should always be sure to carefully wipe your pet’s paws with a damp cloth to remove any de-icer that gets stuck to their feet.

Also, remember that dogs and cats will groom themselves which means they’ll be licking their paws and may ingest dangerous chemicals. For the most part, these chemicals are present in small amounts so there is little danger, but animals that are prone to allergies, dermatitis, or other pre-existing conditions may need you to clean their paws more thoroughly. You can carefully wash each paw in a container of water that you leave by the door, and then dry each paw carefully.

Antifreeze

Another winter hazard, especially for dogs is antifreeze. During winter months we need antifreeze to keep our cars running properly and reduce the effects of freezing temperatures. You should always store antifreeze appropriately, and out of reach of cats and dogs; but you should also be aware that car leaks (on your property, but even in public places) can contaminate your garage, roads, and puddles. Moreover, because antifreeze has a sweet flavour, dogs will drink it happily. Always discourage pets from drinking water from puddles.

Cold Weather Exercise

Even if you live in a temperate climate, winter weather can drop temperatures enough that cats and dogs need to expend a lot of energy to maintain their body temperature. If you enjoy long walks or hikes in the snow, be sure to bring snacks along to ensure your pet maintains proper energy levels.

If you want to know how to make your pet healthy and happy, provided below are some tips:

First, see your vet annually. Similar to you, your pet can get heart problems, toothache, develop arthritis and the like, and the best way to prevent these problems from happening is to undergo regular exams. These exams will include recommended vaccinations, health screenings, dental exam, nutrition, as well as weight control.

Second, you must prevent parasites from infecting your pets. Know that fleas are the most common external parasite that can plague pets. They can indeed lead to irritated skin, hot spots, infection, and hair loss. Also, fleas can introduce other parasites to your dog or cat. You have to understand that when your pet ingested even one flea, it can end up with tapeworms which are the most common internal parasite that can affect cats and dogs. With this, prevent your pet from these parasites by having a regular flea and parasite control, and heartworm prevention. However, there are some parasitic medications meant for dogs that can be fatal for cats; thus, you must first consult your vet prior to buying any medication for your pet to be worm-free and flea-free.

Obtain regular vaccinations – Similar to humans, pets also need vaccinations against illnesses which include feline leukemia, canine hepatitis, distemper and rabies. Remember that the need for immunization will depend on your pet’s health, risks, way of life, and age.

Maintain a healthy weight – Obesity in pets certainly comes with health risks such as cancer, arthritis, and diabetes. Did you know what the leading cause of obesity is? Well, t is actually overfeeding. Thus, as a pet owner, you must know the calories and feeding necessities of your pet.

Never give your pets any human medication – You have to understand that medicines made for humans can kill your pet. In fact, the most common pet poisoning culprits are pain medications. Therefore, if you suspect that your pet ingested your medication, consult your vet immediately.

Give your pet an enriched environment – Know that an enriched environment is a very important element for the long-term health and welfare of your pets. Experts say that pets also need mental stimulation. Playing with your pet will not just keep your furry friend’s muscles toned but will likewise strengthen your bond with your pet.